The Punisher & Vig Christmas Funtime Hour is coming to the Kid's WB this October 8th: "It's like Die Hard, but in reverse and John McClane is an angry Chow Yun Fat lookalike teamed up with a supernatural cowboy." @Simple Unicycle
DocTachyon Member
Teenage Neenage Neetle Teetles
- Last Seen: 20 hrs ago
- Joined: 10 yrs ago
- Posts: 575 (0.16 / day)
- VMs: 0
-
Username history
- DocTachyon 10 yrs ago
-
Latest 10 profile visitors:
-
Most recent →
Hound55,
Crimson Flame,
oooooo,
Simple Unicycle,
Qia,
BANNED98364,
Skai
Status
Recent Statuses
3 yrs ago
How much wood WOULD a woodchuck chuck? If a woodchuck could chuck wood? Maybe that dork Sally selling seashells down by the sea shore knows...
2
likes
4 yrs ago
Can everybody do me a huge solid and like this post: roleplayerguild.com/posts/5…
5
likes
5 yrs ago
Because asking the mods "gib power" is a much better bid than demonstrating a groundswell of supporters, right? #Wraith4Mod2K19
2
likes
5 yrs ago
WRAITH, WRAITH, HE'S OUR MAN, IF HE CAN'T DO IT, NO ONE CAN!
5
likes
5 yrs ago
@KingOfTheSkies but could you fix it with Flex Tape? I say nay-nay
Bio
User has no bio, yet
Most Recent Posts
You think I'm brave because I carry a gun? Well, your fathers are much braver, because they carry responsibility — for you, your brothers, your sisters, and your mothers. And this responsibility is like a-a big rock that weighs a ton. It bends and it twists them until finally it buries them under the ground. --- The Magnificent Seven
Character You're Playing:
Greg Saunders
AKA Vigilante
AKA Host of The Spirit of Vengeance
AKA Vigilante
AKA Host of The Spirit of Vengeance
Powers And Abilities:
The Spirit of Vengeance - Vigilante has learned to work hand in hand with The Spirit, lending him the powers of The Spirit of Vengeance. In a burst of flame he can transform into a skeletal version of himself, complete with hellfire-infused guns and lariat. Vigilante can bring on this transformation through concentration, or when forced into it through a life threatening situation. In this form, Vigilante is extremely durable, fast, and strong. He is slowly learning how to project blasts of hellfire, both from his hands and the maw of his skull, but it is still a learning process. The last ability this form affords him is the Penance Stare, allowing him to finish a weakened opponent by forcing them to suffer for all their sins for eternity.
The Silver - Vigilante’s motorcycle, The Silver, is a souped up chopper, painted a slick cherry red. It’s faster than most normal bikes have any right to be, and packed with a much sturdier frame than most bikes can attest to. It has two saddlebags on either side, typically packed with extra guns and ammo. In his Spirit form, the bike elongates, trading its metal architecture for a skeletal look, as if a skeleton had grown from the gas tank and began spewing hellfire. When enhanced in this fashion, the bike becomes stupendously fast, allowing him to make cross-country roadtrips at speeds comparable to jet aircrafts, though its much more difficult to get up to such speeds in tight spaces.
Gunslinger - Vigilante is a master gunslinger, likely one of the best pistoleros in the world. He has proficiency with other weapons, though mostly those of the ‘cowboy’ type; double barrel shotguns and level action rifles. Vigilante typically carries a half dozen six-shooters on him at any one time.
Whipfighter - Vigilante is a master of the lariat, able to consistently grab and throw objects with it, as well as disarm opponents.
Greasemonkey - Vig is an ace greasemonkey, with a love for modding and tricking out motorcycles in particular, though he is able to work with cars and other comparative machinery if the need arises.
Season One Recap:
Season One saw Vigilante and his team, The Seven Soldiers, returned from Hell and splitting up to chase various leads across the world, with Vig and Jonah Hex left in Warpath, Texas, to keep watch over the townsfolk and protect them from demonic incursion. Unbeknownst to the two, in New York, crime lord Roman J. Solomano, AKA The Hand, made arrangements with the Demon Lord Mephisto such that he would send metahuman assassins after Vigilante, lest his soul be taken.
The first of these assassins was The Dummy, an italian hitman empowered by Solomano. Vigilante was tricked by The Dummy on his arrival, allowing the villain to turn all the denizens of Warpath into living puppets, damned to an unmoving, unfeeling state of existence. Vigilante burst from his own state of dummification on account of The Spirit of Vengeance, allowing him to fight and kill The Dummy in the pitched battle, but leaving the townsfolk petrified.
After some time alone, caring for the wooden townsfolk and repelling the occasional daemonic attack, Vigilante found himself in contact with The Council of Riders, a collection of the previous holders of The Spirit of Vengeance. They warned him his next threat was on the horizon, a band of vengeful spirits known as The Bounty Hunters was inbound for Warpath, coming for Vig’s head. With the aid of The Punisher, Vigilante was able to defeat the swathes of attackers, only to discover that they had been sent by Solomano.
Eventually, Vig found himself challenged by The Silver Surfer. With Jaime Reyes at his side, Vigilante squared off with supervillain Black Star, empowered by the power cosmic. After coming to terms with The Spirit in his mind, the pair took off to New York to do battle with The Silver Surfer alongside Earth’s mightiest heroes. In return for his efforts, the town of Warpath now has a dedicated SHIELD Regiment within, to aid in the protection of the townsfolk and study the demonic energies of the town.
Where Do You Plan To Take The Character This Season?:
Last season was very introspective and slow and ways that I didn’t necessarily intend. Vig found himself alone, fighting a war in Warpath and wrestling with The Spirit. This season will flip the script, pairing Vig up with all of his supporting cast and sending him on a rollicking journey across America. With SHIELD posted up in Warpath, The Soldiers are free to leave the town and scour the US for all manner of magical artifacts they need for their ultimate showdown with Mephisto. They’ll find themselves pitted against demons, Gods, magical folks, and regular metahumans looking to give them a rough go of it. Further, this season will explore Vig’s relationships with each of the Soldiers, their pasts apart and together as a team, and just how their time in Hell changed each of them. But most of all, this season will ask of Vig to make sacrifices, and in going so, really explore what makes the ranchero of Miracle Mesa tick.
Supporting Characters:
Shining Knight- Sir Justin, a medieval Knight trapped in Hell for untold centuries. Over the past several months he searched for and ultimately was reunited with his flying horse, Winged Victory.
Jonah Hex- 1800s Cowboy and member of the Seven Soldiers. Currently trapped in a petrified state after his encounter with The Dummy.
Johnny Frankenstein- Frankenstein, amalgam man of the 1800s. Frankenstein has long been a hunter and researcher of the supernatural, but is no longer “up on things” after spending centuries trapped in Hell. He spent the past several months looking for the current Doctor Occult, and refreshing himself on whatever magical knowledge he could accrue.
Crimson Avenger - The first man Vig met in Hell, transported there after searching for the Miracle Mesa in the 1940s. Vig considers The Avenger one of his best friends and closest confidants. Over the past few months, Crimson Avenger aided The Shining Knight in his hunt for his horse.
Star Spangled Kid and Stripsey - The Kid and his sidekick Stripsey spent the bulk of the past few months trying to accrue SHIELD’s aid, only to come up woefully dry, until Vig came through for them.
Billy Gunn - Old family friend and current Sheriff of Warpath. Currently a petrified dummy in his own living room.
Doctor Occult - Latest in a long line of “Doctor Occult”s, a highly studied magical expert, he is the holder of the Mystic Symbol of The Seven and one of the world’s foremost scholars on the magical arts.
Mephisto - Technically, Mephisto is Vigilante’s current Boss. The demon is responsible for his Ghost Rider abilities and his escape from Hell.
Nebula Man - Herald of The Miracle Mesa, and representation of its power incarnate.
The Council of Riders - A sort of construct within The Spirit of Vengeance, an assembly of every past holder to give advice to the current bearer. Notable members include Johnny Blaze, El Diablo, and Grak.
Agent Meskin - Primary SHIELD Liaison in Warpath.
You think I'm brave because I carry a gun? Well, your fathers are much braver, because they carry responsibility — for you, your brothers, your sisters, and your mothers. And this responsibility is like a-a big rock that weighs a ton. It bends and it twists them until finally it buries them under the ground. --- The Magnificent Seven
Character You're Playing:
Greg Saunders
AKA Vigilante
AKA Host of The Spirit of Vengeance
AKA Vigilante
AKA Host of The Spirit of Vengeance
Powers And Abilities:
The Spirit of Vengeance - Vigilante has learned to work hand in hand with The Spirit, lending him the powers of The Spirit of Vengeance. In a burst of flame he can transform into a skeletal version of himself, complete with hellfire-infused guns and lariat. Vigilante can bring on this transformation through concentration, or when forced into it through a life threatening situation. In this form, Vigilante is extremely durable, fast, and strong. He is slowly learning how to project blasts of hellfire, both from his hands and the maw of his skull, but it is still a learning process. The last ability this form affords him is the Penance Stare, allowing him to finish a weakened opponent by forcing them to suffer for all their sins for eternity.
The Silver - Vigilante’s motorcycle, The Silver, is a souped up chopper, painted a slick cherry red. It’s faster than most normal bikes have any right to be, and packed with a much sturdier frame than most bikes can attest to. It has two saddlebags on either side, typically packed with extra guns and ammo. In his Spirit form, the bike elongates, trading its metal architecture for a skeletal look, as if a skeleton had grown from the gas tank and began spewing hellfire. When enhanced in this fashion, the bike becomes stupendously fast, allowing him to make cross-country roadtrips at speeds comparable to jet aircrafts, though its much more difficult to get up to such speeds in tight spaces.
Gunslinger - Vigilante is a master gunslinger, likely one of the best pistoleros in the world. He has proficiency with other weapons, though mostly those of the ‘cowboy’ type; double barrel shotguns and level action rifles. Vigilante typically carries a half dozen six-shooters on him at any one time.
Whipfighter - Vigilante is a master of the lariat, able to consistently grab and throw objects with it, as well as disarm opponents.
Greasemonkey - Vig is an ace greasemonkey, with a love for modding and tricking out motorcycles in particular, though he is able to work with cars and other comparative machinery if the need arises.
Season One Recap:
Season One saw Vigilante and his team, The Seven Soldiers, returned from Hell and splitting up to chase various leads across the world, with Vig and Jonah Hex left in Warpath, Texas, to keep watch over the townsfolk and protect them from demonic incursion. Unbeknownst to the two, in New York, crime lord Roman J. Solomano, AKA The Hand, made arrangements with the Demon Lord Mephisto such that he would send metahuman assassins after Vigilante, lest his soul be taken.
The first of these assassins was The Dummy, an italian hitman empowered by Solomano. Vigilante was tricked by The Dummy on his arrival, allowing the villain to turn all the denizens of Warpath into living puppets, damned to an unmoving, unfeeling state of existence. Vigilante burst from his own state of dummification on account of The Spirit of Vengeance, allowing him to fight and kill The Dummy in the pitched battle, but leaving the townsfolk petrified.
After some time alone, caring for the wooden townsfolk and repelling the occasional daemonic attack, Vigilante found himself in contact with The Council of Riders, a collection of the previous holders of The Spirit of Vengeance. They warned him his next threat was on the horizon, a band of vengeful spirits known as The Bounty Hunters was inbound for Warpath, coming for Vig’s head. With the aid of The Punisher, Vigilante was able to defeat the swathes of attackers, only to discover that they had been sent by Solomano.
Eventually, Vig found himself challenged by The Silver Surfer. With Jaime Reyes at his side, Vigilante squared off with supervillain Black Star, empowered by the power cosmic. After coming to terms with The Spirit in his mind, the pair took off to New York to do battle with The Silver Surfer alongside Earth’s mightiest heroes. In return for his efforts, the town of Warpath now has a dedicated SHIELD Regiment within, to aid in the protection of the townsfolk and study the demonic energies of the town.
Where Do You Plan To Take The Character This Season?:
Last season was very introspective and slow and ways that I didn’t necessarily intend. Vig found himself alone, fighting a war in Warpath and wrestling with The Spirit. This season will flip the script, pairing Vig up with all of his supporting cast and sending him on a rollicking journey across America. With SHIELD posted up in Warpath, The Soldiers are free to leave the town and scour the US for all manner of magical artifacts they need for their ultimate showdown with Mephisto. They’ll find themselves pitted against demons, Gods, magical folks, and regular metahumans looking to give them a rough go of it. Further, this season will explore Vig’s relationships with each of the Soldiers, their pasts apart and together as a team, and just how their time in Hell changed each of them. But most of all, this season will ask of Vig to make sacrifices, and in going so, really explore what makes the ranchero of Miracle Mesa tick.
Supporting Characters:
Shining Knight- Sir Justin, a medieval Knight trapped in Hell for untold centuries. Over the past several months he searched for and ultimately was reunited with his flying horse, Winged Victory.
Jonah Hex- 1800s Cowboy and member of the Seven Soldiers. Currently trapped in a petrified state after his encounter with The Dummy.
Johnny Frankenstein- Frankenstein, amalgam man of the 1800s. Frankenstein has long been a hunter and researcher of the supernatural, but is no longer “up on things” after spending centuries trapped in Hell. He spent the past several months looking for the current Doctor Occult, and refreshing himself on whatever magical knowledge he could accrue.
Crimson Avenger - The first man Vig met in Hell, transported there after searching for the Miracle Mesa in the 1940s. Vig considers The Avenger one of his best friends and closest confidants. Over the past few months, Crimson Avenger aided The Shining Knight in his hunt for his horse.
Star Spangled Kid and Stripsey - The Kid and his sidekick Stripsey spent the bulk of the past few months trying to accrue SHIELD’s aid, only to come up woefully dry, until Vig came through for them.
Billy Gunn - Old family friend and current Sheriff of Warpath. Currently a petrified dummy in his own living room.
Doctor Occult - Latest in a long line of “Doctor Occult”s, a highly studied magical expert, he is the holder of the Mystic Symbol of The Seven and one of the world’s foremost scholars on the magical arts.
Mephisto - Technically, Mephisto is Vigilante’s current Boss. The demon is responsible for his Ghost Rider abilities and his escape from Hell.
Nebula Man - Herald of The Miracle Mesa, and representation of its power incarnate.
The Council of Riders - A sort of construct within The Spirit of Vengeance, an assembly of every past holder to give advice to the current bearer. Notable members include Johnny Blaze, El Diablo, and Grak.
Agent Meskin - Primary SHIELD Liaison in Warpath.
Coming in reeeeaaaalll last minute with this one, but if it's still possible @Master Bruce, I was hoping I could get this picture of Vig onto the banner? If I can't it's no biggie.
”The Ranchero of Miracle Mesa” - Epilogue
“The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.”
-Anonymous
Warpath, Texas -- SHIELD Outpost 1941
”It all started in Hell. Well, ‘course it did, but I’m sure The Star Spangled Kid letcha in on that much anyhow. Things were… Well, tell you the truth mister, things were different down there. Not much like anything a God fearin’ man’d expect. There was the fire and the brimstone, spiralin’ towers of black rock climbin’ to God knows where. But it was like a… Kinda an inversion of this world. Friday The Thirteenth come to life type deal. Looked like everything from up top had fallen clean through the Earth and had a couple hundred years to rot.
“Way I understand things, Hell’s all cut up into these little sections. Every Demon Lord strong enough’s got their own. Asmodel. Beelzebub. Belial. Others. Never got the pleasure of findin’ a way into their realms, but more n’ a few of their subjects trickled over. Anyway, that’s my of saying I can’t exactly give ya a ‘comprehensive overview’ like you said you wanted. Far as I know, that place could stretch on forever. Worst part is I can’t really tell you how long I was down there. Apparently I was disappeared for three years. Felt like a thousand. Time doesn’t mean anything down there. Guess that’s supposed to make the suffering all the worse.
“Me? No, we weren’t tormented. Least not in the usual way. I think the Demons could tell that we didn’t exactly belong. How? Well, imagine walking down the street, and you see a guy with a mouth where his stomach should be. And the rest of his body is knives. Just knives. Now, imagine everyone around you looks like that. Suddenly, you’re the odd man out, ain’t ya? What’s that? Yeah, ran into a handful of the fellers. Still got the scars… Naw, don’t think that’ll be worth your time. Frankenstein was workin’ on somethin’ called a ‘bestiary’ while we were down there. I’m sure he can hand her over once he comes ‘round.
“Anyhow, what was I sayin’? Right, torment. Clear as I can tell, the lot of us weren’t dead, and I think that got us outta the usual kindsa torture. But by God those boys hounded us to the ends of the Ear--er, Hell. Wasn’t many days we weren’t on the run. It was that way for all of us, in the grand scheme of things it was real lucky we found each other. Otherwise we’d be deader n’ a doornail.
“We got out when we finally found his throne room. Don’t know what we were thinkin’, challenging a creature like that. But maybe that was part of his game. See, thing we learned about Mephisto down there is that he’s a real scheming type. Apparently jes about everything we went through was a test, see who’d be ‘strong enough to face him’. Or maybe that was jes another lie. Point being, we fought that bastard into the ground, used everything we had. Guns, my lariat, Lee’s gas gun, even some special kit we pilfered from demons over the years. Didn’t matter much, though. By the end we were scattered across the battlefield, most of us bleedin’ out.
“I don’t much remember what it was like to accept, but I can piece it together. Friend’s lives and our freedom for one little period of ‘servitude’. How could I refuse? That’s when The Spirit entered my life… Yessir, the feller on The Raft. Well, that was also m… Yessir, it’s more n’ a little complicated.
“Anyhow, we crawl on outta Hell somehow. Not one of us remembers actually doing it. Just waking up in the Desert, and feeling that wind for the first time again. Like a little slice of Heaven. ‘Course, that didn’t last. Come to find out that this whole valley is now home to jes about every brand of Demon we bothered ourselves with downstairs. It’s a wonder the place is still standing, to be honest with ya.
“N’ I’m sure the others told you most o’ the middle, in their bits n’ pieces. Team splits up, chasin’ their dreams. Just me an’ Jonah Hex in Warpath. Then come The Dummy. The Bounty Hunters… Rather not recount it, iffin you don’t mind. But that jes about gets us to where we are now. Duke it out with the Silver Surfer n’ try to learn so many superhero names that I already can’t keep track of. N’, now, Agent, lemme be clear with you. The Spirit don’t often take it upon itself to say too much. But it warned me. It said ‘Somethin’ wicked this way comes.’ Only time it said anything like that before was when The Dummy was coming up on us. You can see how that one went. Point I’m trying to get across is… Whenever it comes, you people need to pull out everything you’ve got. No holds barred. You understand me, son?”
“Yeah…” Agent Meskin nodded, his fingers whipping across the page as he scribbled Vigilante’s statement. He looked up to catch the cowboy’s glare in the light that steamed in through the SHIELD Field Tent. He gulped. “I mean, uh, yeah. Definitely. I’ll speak with my superior officer on that.”
Vigilante nodded and picked up his hat from the table. He stood and stretched. Meskin could hear the pop of his joints from across the tent.
”We almost done here?” Vigilante yawned. ”We’ve been going at this for a couple hours.”
“Almost, Mr. Saunders.” Meskin looked down at his clipboard, flipping through a series of pages. “I was hoping I could speak to The Spirit?”
Meskin could see the wrinkles in Vig’s bandana fold as he smiled. ”You think you want that. But you don’t.” The cowboy turned to leave the tent, pulling his hat on.
“Sir! It’s protocol.” Agent Meskin shot up from his folding chair, clenching his clipboard. Vig didn’t turn around.
”Listen, I appreciate everything you boys are doin’ for us. Least you can do on account of me helping y’all out with The Surfer, you said. But don’t think for one second that you came here to tell us what to do.” Vigilante shouldered his way out of the tent. ”You have a nice day, now.” He called back.
It’d only been a few days since he dropped Jaime off after The Surfer, but it felt like a lifetime, and not in that Hellish sorta way. First time in a long time, Warpath was all hustle and bustle. SHIELD Agents ran all over the shop, many of them hauling crates of weapons or jersey barricades. Warpath’d been transformed practically overnight. SHIELD Watchtowers had already been put up in the town’s four corners, and they were already at work retrofitting Vig’s makeshift walls with all kindsa gun turrets and SHIELD tech. He’d tried helping at first, but after shocking himself a few too many times with their equipment, he decided he was more of a grease monkey than a tech wizard.
Across the way, by what was left of the Crossroads, Sylvester and Pat sat atop a steel box, spinnin’ a yarn for a gaggle of SHIELD Agents. Sylvester waved to Vig as he passed. Vig tipped his hat and moseyed along. He stopped to watch two Agents trying to pulley a mounted turret up to one of the town’s sturdier roofs. The Spirit hissed in his mind.
“Do not trust them, Gregory Saunders.” It growled. Vig shook his head and moved on from the scene, pushing The Spirit’s commentary to one side.
”They’re gov’ment spooks. A little shadiness comes with the territory.” He contended. ”An’ you said earlier that you couldn’t get no signs from them.”
“There is an incongruity about them. They are unreadable.” The Spirit snapped.
Vigilante paused. The agents were doing better now, getting the gun a few feet into the air. Their faces were red from the effort.
”That so? Like that Black Star feller?” They were almost at their apex now. Just a few more inches and the gun turret’d be up and over onto the roof.
“No. It is unlike The Power Cosmic. But it is sinister, Greg Saunders.” The Spirit warned. The turret was almost in place. The agent on the roof said something, his mouth turning up into a grin. The SHIELD agent on the bottom burst out into laughter and the gun slammed into the ground. The agent fell back, rolling around in a fit of laughter.
Vig smiled. ”Sinister. Sure.” He moved on past the scene, heading for the wide-mouthed road that marked the main entrance to Warpath. Lee and Sir Justin sat at a wooden picnic table they’d dragged to the front of Vig’s house. Lee tinkered with his gas gun, feeding in a series of little pellet-things and twisting a few screws and knobs, giving some babbling explanation to Sir Justin. The knight merely nodded, resting his head in his hand and idly passing sugar cubes into Winged Victory’s mouth.
The white horse sat aside the table, majestic white wings kept tightly at its side. It was a massive thoroughbred, hair clean as a kid on a Sunday, despite apparently centuries of waiting for her master to return. In lotsa ways it was easier seeing it up close than it was thinkin’ on the manner of it. A winged horse livin’ for centuries at a time. Wasn’t like he hadn’t seen stranger these last few months.
“Mr. Saunders?” Vigilante heard a voice from atop the Watchtower closest to the entrance. “You might want to come see this.”
Atop the tower, Vigilante pressed the agent’s binoculars to his eyes. On the horizon were two horses. They were dust colored, blending in almost perfectly with the cloud they kicked up, spare their riders. One was wrapped up tight in a brown trenchcoat, with a white fedora he kept firmly pressed to his head with one hand. The other rider looked like a dead man walking. Tatters in his coat betrayed a sickly screen skin crisscrossed with all manner of scars and stitches. It was hard to tell from a distance, put it looked as if he’d had a bolt driven through his temples. Frankenstein.
There’d been hours of drinking and carousing among the Soldiers before most had gone off to bed, leaving Vigilante sitting across from Frankenstein and his guest, staring up at the stars. The wooden picnic bench creaked under Frankenstein’s weight, but he didn’t seem to mind.He was contented to stare, the occasional spark flickering off the rod embedded in his head.
Frankenstein’s guest, Doctor Occult, he said he was called, fidgeted with a circle pendant with a white-and-black X on it. He looked at the ground, lips pursed, deep in though. Doc O had proved himself a quiet feller, mostly stickin’ clear out of the way of the party. He’d spent the night getting the read on the townsfolk, still in their petrified state. Vig had been trying his hardest not to think about it… But it was time for brass tacks, as his Pop would say.
Vig swallowed and Frankenstein and The Doctor instantly locked eyes with him. ”I didn’t wanna get in the way of the celebratin’. I think we’ve done a good thing, here, but, well… We need to know. What can we do? About them?” Vig leaned forward in his chair. ”We’ll cross Hell n’ back again if that’s what it takes, but we need to know.”
The Doctor nodded. He had taken his fedora off by now. He had flowing golden hair, now slick with sweat from the Texas heat. He ran a hand through it. “Well, they’re still alive, thankfully.” He said. “But… Well, put simply, the curse is a simple one, but quite unbreakable. We’d require a magical artifact of enormous power to even begin shattering it… Unfortunately, I’m unsure of where we’d begin to look for them. Most artifacts of such a level are under lock and key by beings we could not hope to challenge, even with The Spirit of Vengeance on our side.”
Vig nodded slow. ”Give it to me straight, Doc. Exactly what kinda things are we ‘lookin for?”
“We’d need an object of truly awesome ability. The Helmet of Fate, or of Dream. The Metachem Wand, a gem of Cyttorak, a Bloodstone, or even one of King Solomon’s Frogs. This is, of course, failing the presence of the curse’s original caster. As he is… No longer with us? Our only hope is his Master was a powerful sorcerer, far greater than him. If such is the case, they may be able to reverse the effects of the curse. Maybe.” Doctor Occult sighed. “I know it’s a shot in the dark. But right now, it’s the only avenue anyone has to helping these people.”
”A Master, huh?” Vig tightened his fists. The leather of his gloves strained. He turned to look past Frankenstein and Doctor Occult, to the northeast. One named burned on his lips. It ran in his mind, through both his and The Spirit’s consciousness.
”Solomano.”
”The Ranchero of Miracle Mesa” - Glitter And Gold: Part Nine
“The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.”
-Anonymous
New York City, New York --- The Raft Prison Island
Vigilante sat astride his bike, content to watch the arrival of Big Barda. The prison had been cleared in large part. Nothing normal rescue crews couldn’t rightly handle, apparently. Instead, he got to watch an alien-lady pull her alien-superhero-husband who was the Silver Surfer, but now wasn’t, through a portal that appeared in the middle of nowhere with of some fancy box. Vigilante needed a drink.
“The stench of The Power Cosmic lingers, Greg Saunders. Something wicked this way comes.” The Spirit warned.
The Spirit was right. Through the holes in the skull, Vigilante could see it spread out all across the bay, that same inky black-and-silver-and-gold spread across the sky and on the surface of The Raft like it was blood, gore from The Surfer’s brawl with Thor. Wisps of it reached for the sky, longing for their master… Whoever it was. Darkseid, he’d heard someone say. Whoever or whatever that was, Vigilante could feel its presence on the horizon, popping and boiling somewhere in the cosmos. Evil in pure form, like a creature borne of Hell itself. Billions of spirits called for him, somewhere in the vastness of the cosmos. But their voices did not call for vengeance. They called for him to run.
“It’s wielder will come for us. All of us. You must be ready… Or this world, and Warpath alike, will burn.” And then The Spirit was gone from his mind, slunk into the background. Content rest, if only for a spell.
Vigilante had never been awake as The Spirit receded from his mind. Flash-grown skin leaped across his body as red hellfires died in his chest, squeezing on cracked ribs and bruised muscles Vig didn’t know he had.
’Hrrg…” He grunted in pain as the change washed over his body. Daggers stabbed into his lungs and chest from his ribs. Apparently getting bitch-slapped by The Silver Surfer wasn’t very good for your health. The Spirit was gone and in his stead was a plum out of place cowpoke.
He walked over to where The Flash had dropped Jaime, trying his best to keep his ribs steady. ”You did good out there J-” Vig stopped himself and shot a glance around. Probably wasn’t a great idea to drop his real name around all these prisoners n’ the like. Lotsa super-folk really cared about that sorta thing. He looked Jaime up n’ down. He was blue… N’ that armor on his back sure did look a lot like a bug… ”Er, ‘scuse me. I mean, uh, nice one, Blue Beetle?” Vig tried the name on for size. Kid was smart enough to get rid of it if he didn’t like it. ”I can give ya a lift back, but it might be a little slower n’ it was gettin’ here.” Vig said.
He turned to the rest of the heroes, Flash already limping her way away. Didn’t seem much fit to Vig. They all come together n’ barely come out on top. Best fighter with a hole in his chest, and already people were just trying to get away from each other. Vig took his hat in his hands.
”It’s been a pleasure, y’all. I’m mighty proud of us, all of us, that we could… Well, that we could handle somethin’ like that.” Vig pointed to the spot where Barda and pulled The Surfer away.
”But it seems to me that this, whatever this is, is jes’ gettin’ started. N’ I don’t know that any of us can handle it alone. I don’t much know how you super-folk usually play things but maybe we should… I dunno, exchange email?”
”The Ranchero of Miracle Mesa” - Glitter And Gold: Part Eight
“The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.”
-Anonymous
New York City, New York --- The Raft Prison Island
”No!” Vigilante’s lariat had just kissed the sole of Johnny Storm’s boot before the Surfer snatched him away. Vig plummeted to the ground, tangling himself on his bike, trying to jump from it in mid-air and snatch Storm from The Surfer’s grasp, but it was too late.
Vigilante slammed into the ground and his bike went skittering away across the shattered concrete ground. He was on his feet immediately, gun in hand, trying to get a bead on The Surfer.
”C’mon ugly, jes hold still for three seconds…” Before he could get a clear shot, a pillar of light appeared so fast it seemed to erupt from The Surfer’s back. It was like the finger of God. For all he had seen in Hell, Vigilante had never witnessed power like this… At least not up close.
”Kick his ass, big guy!” Vigilante shouted to the God of Thunder. Thor and the Surfer battled through the seas and the skies, slamming into each other in bursts of power, lightning arcing off from each strike.
“Join the fight, Greg Saunders.” The Spirit called to him. He could feel his body moving already, his bike automatically righting itself for its rider --
”Beleive me, I’d love to give him a piece of my mind. But this is a whole ‘nother weight class to you and me. Way I reckon, we’re jes a spirit, not a God. I’m sure we’ll get a chance to get our licks in on our own time. Meantime, lotta innocent souls left on this here vessel.” Vigilante said, shaking the tension out of his muscles and calling for his bike. This was an argument to have later, n’ The Spirit knew that, deep down.
"You, skull dude. Mind giving me a ride through the Raft? I'll use what webbing I have left to keep any fracture points we find as structurally sound as I can make them. That will give the rest of you time to get as many people out as possible. Sound good?"
”Works for me, ma’am.” His bike rolled to his side and he sat, Spider-Woman perching behind him. He pulled the throttle and the bike took off through the prison, winding around tight corners and touring as much of the prison as he could to let Spider-Woman tag each weak spot. He snatched up prisoners and guards up as he went, dropping ‘em off in marginally more secure areas of the prison, hopefully to get sheparded across the bridge by someone else.
”Y’all should invite me to these shin-digs more often.” Vig quipped, skirting around a corner, blasting through a pile of collected rock. ”So much fun.”
”The Ranchero of Miracle Mesa” - Glitter And Gold: Part Seven
“The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.”
-Anonymous
New York City, New York --- The Raft Prison Island
Vigilante had never given much thought to how The Spirit saw the world. He’d thought it a kinda mess of goods and evils, targeting him to wrongs that had to be righted like some kinda vengeance-seeking-missile. But somehow, he could sense a weight coming off these folks, if it weren’t enough to see ‘em so haggard anyhow. A weight mightier n’ anything Vigilante had ever seen sat on their shoulders; but here they were, riskin’ life and limb against Mr. Crayola Model Magic over there, crazy spandex or not.
“Old Chrome Dome really isn’t playing around this time. There was enough on that one to flatten me. You’d better keep your heads on a swivel, people.”
“You heard the man,” Reed shouted to the others as he assumed control. “The Surfer’s not pulling his punches anymore. If he hits you, you’re going down for the count. We need to play this one smart. Johnny, Vigilante, I want you to give him something to think about – keep your distance, pepper him with everything you’ve got, but keep moving.”
Vig hadn’t figured anyone outside of Jaime’d know who in the Hell he was. Apparently word was gettin’ around. Bout time to live up to the recognition.
”Loud n’ clear, Boss Man! C’mon, Hotshot! Let’s see if he feels lucky.” Vigilante spun his pistol in his hand and began to fire again, giving The Surfer the runaround with his bike. As the drove he spun his whip, pulling out giant bits of concrete that had been knocked from the walls and flinging them at The Surfer.
As he fired, he shot a look at the ‘Johnny’ feller, see how he was handling it. There was a rage building up in that boy. His face was all shock and awe. But then? Nothing but focus and anger. Even from the ground he could feel the flyboy getting hotter n’ hotter -- and he was headed straight for the Surfer.
”City slickers gettin’ into trouble all the gotdang time leavin folks like me to…” Vigilante grumbled to himself, swerving his bike and following the hotshot’s path.
”Hey! What happened to ‘keep yer distance’?” Vigilante shouted up at him. He wasn’t sure if the feller could hear over the roar of his own flames, boiling to a fever pitch.
“You want death? You want destruction? Well buckle up, you son of a bitch, because there’s no coming back from where we're going!”
“Jesus, Mary, n’ Joseph.” Vigilante said, staring up at the wave of fire that burst forth from Johnny Storm’s body, sweeping through the battlefield like a pyromaniac’s idea of a tidal wave. If that wasn’t everything he had in the tank, Vig didn’t know shit from shinola. Kid was probably about to fall like a ton of bricks. And he was the only one outta the fellers still standing that could handle that kind of heat.
”Hold onto your horses, kid! Imma comin’!” Vigilante shouted. He flung his lariat out, dragging up a piece of weakened concrete into a makeshift ramp. He revved the engine and launched himself down the ramp, flinging himself high into the sky, through the fire that was just starting to ebb from the point of impact. Hopefully he could catch ‘im before he had a bad fall, or help him fight whatever came next.
”The Ranchero of Miracle Mesa” - Glitter And Gold: Part Six
“The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man, or take unfair advantage.”
-Anonymous
New York City, New York --- The Raft Prison Island
”Kid!” Jaime was all Vigilante could think about as he was blasted off of his bike, flying past Wonder Woman and smashing through a six inch concrete wall. Pain was everywhere, but already he could feel the presence of the Spirit, hellfire stitching together the fractures in his bones as if they’d never been there at all. Vigilante hauled himself out of the rubble and looked side to side to survey the damage.
It was like a thing outta some wartime comic book. Wonder Woman was launchin’ through the air like a regular Captain America, n’ the Spider-Lady snatching the fastest woman alive outta’ the air. The Surfer hung in the sky like a malevolent God, waiting to pass his judgement. But then there was Jaime, clawing his way out of the rubble, one piece at a time. He was supposed to have gotten clean outta’ there after the jump. He should’ve-could’ve…. He was here now, and that meant protecting him.
Vigilante’s bike lay sandwiched in a pile of twisted metal and concrete, he rushed for it, shoving aside the huge slab of stone like a kid’s toy. He jammed his hand into the saddle bags and produced two pistols, blazing black with hellfire. Jaime was on his feet now, recombobulating his hands into some kinda fuckoff giant laser. He was gonna fire on The Surfer.
The Surfer was… God, he hadn’t even had a moment to think about the measure of his power. He’d smacked him n’ Jaime aside like they were children gettin’ too rowdy in the playpen. An alien superweapon n’ an agent of what might as well have been the devil himself, knocked over like a row of dominoes.
”I ain’t much given to askin’ for help… But how do we stop him?”
There was a silence in his head as Vigilante righted his bike.
“I do not know… What do you always say? Shoot it until it stops moving?”
”I can do that.” Vigilante said aloud. He mounted his bike and the engine roared, he screamed off into the distance, making long circles of The Raft. He took his pistol in one hand and lariat in the other.
”Hey ugly! You and me r’ gonna mix!” Vigilante shouted, gunning the throttle, pushing the engines as hard as he could go and keeping his turns tight around the arena. Hopefully he’d be too fast to get tagged -- n’ too distracting for the Surfer to even think about touching Jaime.
”See if you can't keep him still!”
”You heard the kid! Let’s get ‘im tied!” Vigilante took aim with his pistol, and black bullets coated in fire started pinging off his metal exterior. Maybe they weren’t doin much to hurt him, but hopefully the distraction’d pay off. He threw his lariat high into the sky, looping it around the Surfer’s ankle and tugging with everything he had.
Alright, @DocTachyon and @Superboy if you want in on this round of Surfer action, speak now (or within the next couple of hours) or forever hold your peace.
I'm going to try to respond to everything in one slightly longer post as opposed to individually as outlined above, so let me know so no one is left out before taking their shot.
I'm in, I just need an hour or two, out with family ATM. That said, you can go ahead and post begore I can get something up if need be.
© 2007-2024